Holding Tight
by Ethre
Summary: In which Aoba finally managed to find Mink. And he doesn't want to leave the other's side ever again.


"Ah, it's a bit tight." Aoba's eyes squinted a bit in pain as his hands reached up behind him to hold Mink's hand which was tying up his hair.

"Hm, is it?" Mink responded calmly, now aware of Aoba's pain and made an effort to loosen up the hair ornament. Following that, Aoba finally let his hands fall back to his lap, feeling reassured now that Mink was paying more attention to make it less painful for him. After all, it was the first time Aoba was trying on something like this...Hair ornaments, with beads and feathers strung to it. Honestly, the first time when Aoba saw it, he had fallen into a state of awe.

_"You made it?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"It's pretty."_ _He blurted out earnestly, eyes still fixed to the neat crafting of feathers and beads before they went up to look at Mink straight in the eyes._

_Needless to say, it had been an awkward silence that followed as Mink continued to stare at him with that quiet eyes of his. It was as if imploring something. If Aoba hadn't known Mink, he wouldn't have been able to tell. But he did...and so he felt like he kind of understood what Mink wanted._

_"Can i wear it?" Aoba had said with a cheerful smile. Making it as if he himself wanted this when it was in fact to spare Mink from the embarrassment of having to ask him for it...Because Mink is just that kind of person who usually doesn't ask those sort of question, so Aoba felt like it was his job as the person who understands to help the older man out. Though honestly, having to tell himself to do this for Mink's sake make him think that Mink actually looked cute(as forbidden as it sounded) when the older man hesitated on asking something from him. Besides, it was so rare to come upon Mink who actually wanted something from him for once._

And that had led to this. With Aoba sitting on the floor between Mink's spread legs, while Mink sat behind him on the couch, eyes intently fixated on his hands which were busy fixing the hair ornament so that it could fit in Aoba's soft long blue hair. They sat in comfortable silence, their still figures and minimal movements illuminated by the dim candles that burned in the living room. The house was fairly small, but the space was just enough for the two of them to live in. Even one bedroom that the house contained is enough, as well as the single bed it had. Every night, Aoba would crawl into Mink's bed, curl, snuggling up against the warm heat of Mink's body and even if the space should, by right, be cramped from being occupied by two grown men, but if he did it like this, holding tight against Mink's body till there was no more gap between them, that problem would feel as if it didn't exist at all.

Mink hadn't push him away either at those kind of nights. His soft, quiet eyes silently watching as Aoba rested against him, his own arms slowly moving to wrap around the smaller body before he knew it, embracing it in gentle warmth.

Those nights, even if it was mostly silence that accompanied them, but Aoba could still tell...through those soft, gentle touches...that Mink welcomed him. That Mink held him as dearly as he did towards the older man.

Tonight, it was mostly silence again. Aoba had grown accustomed to it. From living in the busy, noisy city and surrounded by cheerful, lively people...somehow along the way, he had forgotten how it felt like to be surrounded by those used-to-be-familiar noises anymore as day by day passed living with Mink. Melancholy? Nostalgia? Not really. As strange as it sounded, to be parting with all those things that used to be familiar to him, he felt little to no regret, little to no sadness. Though sometimes, he admitted that he did think of his Baa-chan and found himself worrying about her from time to time, wondering if she was okay. Only his Baa-chan that could make him turn away, make him change his mind. If Baa-chan had told him to not go and pursue Mink...he probably wouldn't have. But Baa-chan understood him, probably even better than himself, and so she had probably known that it would only continue to hurt him, made him regret if he didn't go after the man that had suddenly disappeared from his life after realizing just how much significance the latter held to him. So in the end, she had let him go, with a smile that told him she trusted his decision and that she believed he would be able to find the person who he wanted to see again.

"_Never stop once you started on something_."

And his journey led him here, to this secluded house surrounded by the thick, lush green forest where nature at its richest resided. Mink had told him that it had been this place where his tribe used to live. Until the fire burned down everything and reduced them all to ashes, leaving him as the sole survivor to live and carry on the name of his tribe.

"...It's done." Mink's voice broke through his thought, quiet and calm.

Aoba blinked, automatically reaching up a hand to touch his hair. He could feel the soft feathers, as if flowing like one with his hair as he sifted his hands through them.

"Hold on." Mink said after he noticed this, getting up and walking towards the bedroom. Aoba watched him go and waited for a few silent moments by himself as he continued to feel the intricate decorations in his hair.

Mink came back soon after, carrying a small mirror in his hand which he placed on the table that faced Aoba. Aoba looked into the mirror where an image of him surfaced. Mink went back to sit behind him, now holding onto his shoulders as he too looked into the mirror beside Aoba's face. His eyes were gentle and soft as always as he spoke. "It fits you." It was the small smile on Mink's face, the shine in those deep eyes that took Aoba's breath away. They spoke something akin to adoration, fondness, so sincere that it slightly choked Aoba up.

"It's beautiful." Lifting a few strands of Aoba's blue hair with his fingers, he brought it to his lips, kissing them briefly.

"...Nh." Aoba faltered, trying not to be too flustered as he watched the way Mink was handling his hair preciously.

"Thank you." Mink had whispered then, quietly into his ears as his arms gradually came to close around him slowly. Those two word spoke more than a thousand could. Because it's Mink, Aoba understands.

Aoba understands.

_Thank you for coming for me._

Aoba leaned back, yielding, body pliant under the other's touch. Closing his eyes, Aoba smiled, the smile more meaningful than any other as his hand held onto Mink's arm.

_No...It is you..._

_...Thank you._


End file.
